Just Friends, Maybe More
by Giantpanda
Summary: A missing scene from Homecoming and an extension.
1. Part One

TITLE: Just Friends, Maybe More  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: A missing scene from Homecoming and an extension.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.

Thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed any of my stories, and for mrstater for editing this story and for her support.

Shannon needed to get away. Tears burned in her eyes, and she knew they would fall soon. She couldn't let anyone see that, so she grabbed her towel and toiletry bag and carried them far away from where everyone stood talking about the murdered castaway, Scott. Or was it Steve? She could never keep them straight; then again, she'd never even talked to either of them.

She knew what all the other castaways thought of her; just because she was blonde didn't mean that she was stupid. They all looked at her just as everyone else had her entire life, as if she was a perfect Barbie doll. Her sole purpose on this island was to look good. She was pretty good at playing her part too, until Sayid had asked for her help. She was still surprised about that. No one had ever asked her for anything before.

Shannon then had a new role helping him, but she saw that the looks didn't go away. She knew that they expected her to fail, expected Sayid to tire of her and send her back to the beach to sunbathe. To her surprise and joy, he hadn't done it yet, but she was always prepared. A part of her was grateful that he hadn't thrown her away yet. She loved spending time with him.

She finally found a nice quiet spot, and spread her towel on top of the sand. She sank down slowly and drew her knees to her chest. She took a few deep breaths. She would not cry. She had seen them carrying the broken body, but she didn't want to remember it. She closed her eyes tightly hoping to erase the image, but it didn't help.

She grabbed her toiletry bag, her hands trembling so badly that it took three tries to get the zipper open. She dug through it quickly looking for her nail polish. It was the only way she knew to calm herself. She had to be completely focused as to not mess up; it was like her Zen moment. Not that she expected anyone else to understand. She had seen the dirty looks they had all given her as she had given herself a pedicure after the crash.

She shook the bottle gently, hoping that she wouldn't run out soon. One good thing about being a living Barbie doll, she thought bitterly, was that she had packed way too much stuff. It was true that she was bringing everything back home, but still she could have left some of her toiletries in Australia, as Boone had suggested, and bought more in LA. She was really glad that she hadn't, everyone else would start looking grungy much quicker then she would.

Shannon unscrewed the top and drew out the brush, wiping as much off as she could. She wanted this color to last for as long as she could. Her hand shook as she brushed the nail polish on her thumb. She bit her lip, hoping it would help her concentrate. The tears filled her eyes again and she couldn't see clearly. The brush slipped off her nail, smearing polish on her skin.

"Damn it," she swore softly, wiping it away before it dried.

A shadow fell over her, but she wasn't afraid; she knew who it was. There was only one person who would seek her out.

"Are you all right?" Sayid asked.

"I'm fine," she offered him a smile to prove it. "Just painting my nails."

He looked down to a spot on her towel and then back to her. "May I?"

She scooted over a little to give him room. He lowered himself down beside her and looked out to the ocean. She felt the butterflies in her stomach that always seemed to appear whenever he was near. Shannon started to play with the nail polish cap, twisting it back and forth.

Sayid finally broke the silence. "I saw you watching the burial. You did not stay long."

She looked down at the glittery nail polish. "I wanted to get away." She held the bottle up for him to see. "I needed to paint my nails."

"Did it help?" he asked, taking the bottle from her.

She hadn't expected that question. She had been prepared for him to laugh at her or tell her that someone had just died why was she painting her nails. When she looked up at him, she saw the understanding in his eyes. It startled her; no one had ever looked at her like that before.

Shannon shook her head. "My hands were shaking," she admitted.

He didn't say a word as he stared at the bottle in his hands. She thought for a moment that he was going to take her hand and paint her nails for her. Instead, he reached out and lifted her chin so that she had to look at him. She knew that he could see the unshed tears in her eyes. She wanted to pull away, but she was drawn to his eyes. He gently caressed her cheek.

"Are you sure it was simply because of your hands?"

"What else could it be?" she asked, harsher then was necessary.

She pulled out of his grasp, ignoring the coldness where his hand had been. She would not let him see her upset. She knew that he would laugh at her; she wouldn't let him see that she really wasn't a Barbie at all. She turned so that he couldn't see her face anymore.

After a few minutes of silence, she felt him move beside her and she thought that he was going to leave. Instead she felt his arm wrap tentatively around her back. The tears started falling at this simple act of comfort. A normal person would have left her alone, but she was quickly learning that Sayid wasn't like anyone she had ever met before.

Shannon had a decision to make. She could push him away and tell him to go to hell or she could allow him to comfort her. She was surprised at how quickly she made up her mind.

Shannon turned towards him and allowed him to wrap both his arms around her. She buried her face against his chest and for the first time allowed herself to cry in front of someone else. He whispered comforting words in her ear as he rubbed her back gently.

After a few minutes, her tears stopped, but she did not leave Sayid's arms. She has never felt as safe as she did in that instant. Unfortunately he pulled away. He wiped away her remaining tears.

"I hope you feel better now."

She nodded, although she thought about lying to him so he would wrap his arms around her again. He looked down to where the rest of the castaways were and she saw the uncertainty in his eyes.

"You can go down there. You don't have to stay with me."

"I told Jack that I would help them draw out Ethan," he said as he stood up.

Panic filled her as she realized what he said. She grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop.

"You're going to go after the guy who killed Steve or Scott, whatever, and hung Charlie. Are you crazy?"

"I have dealt with worse."

She let go of his hand. "I don't want you to go." She knew she sounded like a spoiled child, but she didn't care. Sayid was her friend and she didn't want him to be hurt.

"We will be armed, Shannon. Everyone will be fine."

She couldn't admit to him that she was worried or that he was the only one she cared about making it back safely.

"I believe you wish to have this back," he said as he handed her the nail polish.

She shook her head. "Give it back after you deal with Ethan."

He smiled as he placed it in his pocket. He turned to walk away.

"Sayid," she called after him. "That's my favorite color."

"I promise I will return it personally." He continued down to the beach.

Shannon watched him as he went. She sank back down to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. She smiled to herself, he knew that she really wanted him to be the one coming back; the nail polish wasn't important. She sat staring of into the ocean, pretending that he was still beside her. She hoped that he would come back to her unharmed.

TBC…


	2. Part Two

TITLE: Just Friends…Maybe More  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: A missing scene from Homecoming and an extension.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.

_Thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed any of my stories, and for mrstater for editing this story and for her support._

**PART TWO**

Shannon sat in the caves alone, the atmosphere heavy with nervousness and fear. No one was talking. She was glad that she had found a place where she was secluded but could still see the entrance. Her eyes burned from staring at it for so long.

She had abandoned her nail file a while ago when she had noticed that she was tapping it repeatedly against her leg. She figured it wasn't a good idea to file her nails when she was nervous anyway. Normally when she felt this way she would paint her nails, like she had attempted earlier. But Sayid had her favorite color, and she couldn't paint them until he brought it back to her. She hoped it was soon.

Shannon wasn't used to this feeling of fear residing in the pit of her stomach. It was not a feeling that she wanted to get used to. She wondered if Sayid would listen to her if she told him she didn't want him going out in the jungle anymore.

He had been so sweet to her earlier. She could still feel his arms around her. A part of her wished that she had lied to him and gotten him to stay by her side as the rest of them went for Ethan. Knowing Sayid he would have felt guilty for not being there, but at least he would have been safe. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she couldn't have done that to him.

She thought briefly of the possibility of their relationship becoming more than just friendship, then dismissed the idea. Sayid wouldn't want to spend time with someone like her. He was probably used to women who were more intelligent then she was, women who weren't so self-involved. She couldn't imagine him wanting a Barbie doll like her. But he had been the one who had come to her when she was upset and he had admitted to watching her.

She had wondered what it would be like to kiss him. She had dreams about it ever since he had asked her to help with the maps. She smiled as she remembered the look on his face when he caught her tanning without her bikini top. He had seemed momentarily flustered but had recovered quickly. She could picture how he would have blushed if she had sat up without covering herself up. He was so different from every other guy she had been with.

Since there was nothing to do but wait, Shannon decided that it would be okay to fantasize about him a little. He would never know that she thought about him like that, simply friends was all he would ever see her as anyway. She allowed herself to picture what it would feel like to kiss him, his hands traveling up and down her body, as they sat in front of a fire. She shivered, as the fantasy grew even more intense.

Gunshots echoed through the caves, causing her to jump and her eyes to fly open. Her breathing became erratic as she thought about the possibility of Sayid having been shot. She felt her chest tighten in fear. He couldn't get shot, not when she had just been picturing the possibility of a future with him.

She saw the way that everyone looked around as if they were all thinking the same thing. She admitted though that Sayid wasn't the only one that they were worried about. After what felt like eternity she heard the groups' voices signaling their return.

She held her breath as the group that had gone after Ethan returned. She saw the exhaustion in their eyes and she wondered what had happened. She watched as each one walked by, waiting until she saw Sayid. Finally he arrived, and she could breathe again.

Shannon saw the way he looked around and she wondered if he was looking for her. She stood up slowly, suddenly exhausted from waiting. She walked over to him slowly, deliberately making sure that she didn't seem overly excited. She was so grateful to see him unhurt that she wanted to throw her arms around him, but she knew that couldn't happen.

She stood in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest. "My nail polish better not be broken."

He offered her a tired smile as he reached into his pocket. "As promised I have returned it back to you safely."

She reached for the glittery bottle and held her hand over it. But she didn't take it; instead, she looked him over for injuries.

He looked at her, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure it's in one piece," she answered softly.

"I told you it is fine."

She sighed, she would have to trust that he was ok. Her eyes fell onto his arm.

"You're hurt," she said as she moved his arm so she could get a better look.

He looked down, and his face registered surprise to see the dried blood around the wound.

"It is just a scratch."

She bit her lip, wondering what she should do. She was tempted to call Jack over and have him take a look, but she was sure that he had other things he needed to take care of, such as making sure that Claire was okay.

She took Sayid's hand in hers and led him over to the fire. He started to protest, but she gave him a stern look that said she was in charge. She pushed gently on his shoulder, forcing him to sit down. She went over to Jack's medicine cabinet and got the necessary materials to clean out his injury.

She returned surprised to find him still sitting there waiting for her. She had thought that he had just been humoring here by coming to the fire. She had expected that he would have left and then she would have had to hunt him down. Instead, he was staring off into space. Shannon wondered what had happened out there to cause the far away look in his eyes. He didn't seem to notice when she had sat down beside him.

She took his injured arm and lifted it towards her. She held his wrist with one hand as she gently touched the wound with the other. She looked intently as she tried to determine if he needed stitches. She didn't think it did, but she really was no expert. Once again she thought about calling Jack, but when she felt Sayid's intense gaze on her, she knew she would take care of him.

She concentrated on his arm, touching it again. It was very difficult, she found, not to be affected by the way he was looking at her. The whole time she was examining him, his eyes never left her face. She refused to look at him, afraid that her concern would show -- or worse, he would see that she cared about him.

Shannon rested his arm against her lap as she poured some water on a small towel. She picked his arm up again and began to gently wipe over the dried blood, hoping to wash it off. Once she had gotten all the blood off she realized that it wasn't as bad as it had previously looked. She didn't want to let go of his arm, so she continued to gently wipe the towel over it.

She turned her head slightly so that she could see him. Sayid was gazing at her with a look she couldn't describe. Her breath caught in her throat. No one had ever looked at her like that before. He raised his eyes to meet hers and she quickly went back to taking care of his arm.

She felt her heart pounding in her chest and wondered if he could hear it. She realized suddenly how close he was to her, if they both would lean just a little more forward they could kiss. She wished that she knew what Sayid was thinking, if kissing her was something on his mind or the last thing he could ever imagine doing. She would just have to push that thought away for now. She wasn't going to take any chances that she would ruin this friendship.

Reluctantly, she let go of his arm and looked at him. "I think it's okay."

He left his arm resting against her leg.

"Thank you for taking care of my arm," he said, his eyes filled with some indescribable emotion.

"You're welcome."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the nail polish once again. "I believe you should take this. I have no use for it."

"You sure you don't want me to paint your nails?" she asked, laughing.

"I will have to pass on that offer."

She sighed. "I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep after everything that happened today."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

She bit her lip, undecided. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes, but she did want to talk to him.

"We can talk until you are ready for bed," he said.

She nodded, grateful that he would stay up with her for a little while. She was afraid that if she closed her eyes images of him getting shot would haunt her. There was also the possibility that the dreams would be a little sexier, but she'd still rather just talk to him.

She turned to face him and started asking him questions about what happened with Ethan. He answered them all. She was glad that he didn't try to protect her from the truth. She didn't know how long they sat there talking. They had exhausted the day's events and had moved onto other things. She was always amazed how easily she could talk to Sayid and how intently he always listened to her.

She hoped that they would be able to continue to build on this friendship and maybe one day he would see her the way she was beginning to see him, as someone much more than a friend.

The End


End file.
